Stinks? Noisy? Slow to pick up revs and lacks in the power department? Not even close in my experience
You've probably only driven crappy petrol cars, diesel engines are by their nature heavy (because the engine deals with high compressions ratio's) and low in power (because the engine is heavy it's restricted to low RPM), low rpm = low power because power is a product of rpm and torque, it's like a mule compared to a race horse. One is strong but slow the other is weak but fast. Why do you think Honda engines make so much power, it's because they rev to 9000rpm, while you've shifted twice in your diesel power engine, the 9000rpm rever is still climbing up the ladder making more power by the second.
That's the skewed impression you get when you compare your <insert small, rev-happy petrol chariot here> with Oom Frikkie's faithful bakkie on the farm.
I challenge you to take a current 330d for a spin & come back with the same opinion.
The problem is you need to compare petrol cars in the same price region to the 330d obviously it's not a bad car, there are just better options in that price range. Take a Honda Civic Type R or some other petrol powered car that makes a lot of power for a drive and you'll see the appeal. I used the Honda as an example because I like N/A and I like high-rpm engines, there's nothing like putting the car into 2nd and it keeps going, and going and going, then into 3rd, same story, it's really something to experience.
Torque is what you feel, that feeling that pushes you back into your seat, the only problem is a car can do that and still not move very quickly which is pretty much what a diesel car does, don't take me wrong you get some quick diesel cars but in the same price range you can easily find a petrol car and it's making more power, getting to 0-100 faster and it's got a higher top end speed.
You don't buy a diesel because you want performance, if you do then you need to really get out and test drive the proper petrol models, read some online review before you go out for a performance model.
@Gnome.
That was also my impression for many years. Like the old Isuzu Bakkie which you could hear clattering along from about a mile away.
However things have changed somewhat with Diesel vehicles.
We now have
common rail diesel technology with motors that are quiet with even more torque than what they had before. Low sulphur diesel that does not smoke at all.
I can add to that list, but I think you should do some investigation into the latest diesel vehicles on the market.
Diesel is a bit cheaper than petrol and the fuel economy on a diesel motor in some models is far lighter than petrol.
Meh, they still smoke, if I take the latest and greatest golfs I see on the road, if a petrol car smoked like that, I'd think about overhaul immediately still I'm a young person so I like cars with a little bit of excitement.
If you like a slow family type car then it's all good, now I don't mean slow as in it's terrible but I look at the price then look at the performance, then I look at the petrol cars in the same region and I'm wondering why I would take the diesel, it's more expensive and it's making 1/2 the power. And it's not like they are more reliable, the only thing that's "great" about them is the fuel saving and torque imho.
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